What Women-Owned Businesses Want and Need in 2019

The numbers are trending up, and here's what we can all do to ensure it continues.

By Rebekah Iliff, Writer, speaker, entrepreneur

These days, it's nearly impossible to peruse your favorite business outlet or watch the nightly news without seeing a headline about sexual harassment or the shocking inequities that female entrepreneurs face. As discouraging as it may seem, the truth is we all need to be "woke" in terms of systemic social injustices, particularly regarding race and gender. Our collective awareness of these disparities is precisely what is needed in order to move the conversation forward.

With that in mind, as we enter the holiday season--a time for reflection, spreading cheer, and inciting general goodness--I think it's also a perfect opportunity to understand just how far we've come so we have a better sense of what lay ahead of us. Not as women business owners, startup founders, or solopreneurs, but as a unified group. We have a tremendous amount of progress to make; yet, we have much to celebrate.

Let's give them something to talk about

....

A 2018 study published in the Academy of Management Journal found that investors (both men and women) are more likely to ask female entrepreneurs "prevention" questions, whereas male entrepreneurs receive "promotion" questions. This means investors are more concerned about potential losses with women, but they want men to tell them all about their ambitions and the growth potential of their businesses. Unsurprisingly, entrepreneurs who are asked "promotion" questions typically receive more funding.